Exes and Other Strangers
by stormyjester
Summary: Steve and Robin are now working at Family video. On Thanksgiving weekend, some unexpected visitors stir up some old feelings.
1. Chapter 1

The phone rang for the third time in the last twenty minutes. Robin hung her head. "Oh come on. Seriously? That's can't be him again."

I shrugged and looked at the phone, watching it ring twice more before picking up. "Family Video," I answered. I glanced at Robin, then mimicked her by hanging my head beside her. "Yup. I got it," I said into the phone. I put two fingers on the bridge of my nose in frustration. "Henderson, I got it. Just get here soon, or we're closing up."

Robin heard the voice on the other end of the line raise and grabbed the phone from me. She pretended to talk to a customer with the phone tucked under her chin. "Uh oh, what's that Mr. Daniels, you want to rent our last copy of The Goonies? Let me just put it aside for you." Robin heard the unmistakable screech on the other end of the line before handing the phone back to me. "That'll get him here faster," she said. She hopped up on the counter and took a handful of popcorn from the bowl beside her.

"No Henderson, she was lying. Just get here fast or we really will make sure someone else borrows it tonight." I hung up the phone and leaned on the counter beside Robin. "Ten minutes, tops. That was really evil, by the way."

She shrugged at me. "He needed a little push. In the meantime Dingus, you can put away that basket of videos over there." She pointed at the returns behind the desk. "I did the last basket." I brushed off the nickname that used to get under my skin when we first started working at Scoops Ahoy together. At the time, she had every right to be annoyed with me, and I took the name in stride. Now, she said it with affection, and it hardly registered with me as anything other than a friendly greeting. A throwback to when life was normal in her eyes – if not mine having already notched a fight with a demogorgon on my belt.

I grabbed an armload of videos and took the stack to the Horror aisle. I started placing each behind their boxes, ready for the next customers to grab.

The job had been going well for this last month. Not one demogorgon or demodog had threatened to tear apart the store, Robin ensured that Keith didn't give me _all_ of the worst shifts, and I had almost made enough money to look for an apartment and get out of my house.

The sticky heat of summer was long gone, but the weight of the July 4th festivities still weighed on my mind. Weighed on all of our minds, honestly. It wasn't something that was easy to move on from. Wrapping our heads around the monsters was one thing – dealing with the loss it caused was something else entirely.

I had fared better than most, being on the outskirts of the gang. Plus, this job provided refuge, to some extent. The need to pay for food and shelter was a very tangible reason for not letting go of what used to be a normal town in a normal world. The world that my parents still saw when my Dad asked for the rent money on time. Meanwhile, I'd lie in bed at night and still see the fireworks exploding on the backs of liquefied people – now _there_ is something not many people can say – and I still felt the sting on my cheek from a crazy Russian's hand; but at the end of the day, my Dad still put his foot down, not able to get over the idea that I was still at home. He wasn't too happy with me for not getting into college, and he wasn't going to let me live in the house without paying for food and shelter. "Like a real man," he kept telling me.

Where was he when the Russian nearly pried off my finger nail to get me to tell him I was a spy? Would I be a man in his eyes if he knew _that_ little bit about my summer?

I felt a cold draft come in from the front door as a customer entered. I turned to see if Dustin had finally made an appearance. No such luck. "Shit," I mumbled under my breath. I glanced at Robin. She hopped down from the counter. Tammy Thompson looked over at me and smiled. The door opened again and some burly guy entered with a thick leather jacket. He looked like a total dipstick. Tammy reached out her hand and pulled him beside her, then she looked back at me. She made sure that I was looking her way when she planted a kiss right on his lips. I rolled my eyes and looked away.

I glanced back over at Robin. She was behind the counter still, watching the whole show unfold, knowing that Tammy was there with some new boyfriend she picked up in college and was back to try to make _me_ jealous.

I wanted to make my way over to the counter, talk to her and make a joke. I loved to see Robin laugh, particularly when it was for the purpose of making her feel better. But before I could make my move, Tammy called me over. "Hey Steve," she said, "this is my boyfriend Kyle." She put a hand on his chest and gave me a triumphant look. "We're looking for something funny to watch tonight. Any suggestions?"

Kyle dug his hand into her side playfully. She giggled. "Stop it," she said, slapping his hand away. She leaned into his chest, and looked at me. "So, anything good come out recently? I'm back home for Thanksgiving and we thought we'd spend the night in," she told me. She looked at Kyle again who leaned down and kissed her. One had to wonder if she had planned the whole thing _with_ him, or if he was oblivious to this little show she was putting on for my sake.

I nodded at her, grimacing at her stupid curls and at the way she pawed at Kyle's chest.

She knew what she was doing. It was a vindictive, cruel move to try to make me see what I missed out on in high school. High school felt like a really long time ago now. So much has happened, and so much has changed. I used to be king of the school back then. King of the school in our normal town. The town where nothing happened. The town where all of my peers looked to me to see what was cool. Girls raved over my hair, and truthfully, I liked it that way. I enjoyed being king. It all seems pretty stupid now, but that's what happens when you go from stupid kid to adult-fighting-monsters overnight. If I was at all jealous of Tammy tonight, then maybe I would have deserved it by the way I treated people back then. I was a jerk in high school. No doubt about that. I like to think that I've grown up since then, so I would have been able to brush the whole scene off if she was getting under my skin tonight. Problem was, it wasn't me that was taking the hit here.

You see, that girl behind the counter, Robin, she's this perfect girl that popped into my life. She's cute with her big eyes and little dimples, and she's so funny. So smart. She's kinda perfect. I fell for her hard this past summer, and completely by accident. Maybe it was when we were tied to a chair together in a secret Russian base and my eyeball felt like it was going to pop out of my head from the beating I had taken. Maybe it was when the Russian went to pry my fingernail off and she saved me from that pain by yelling out that we had found their stupid code. Or maybe it was when she started calling me Dingus early in the summer. I dunno. It took my buddy Dustin to help me figure it out. I spilled my guts to her about my feelings – took a shot that maybe, even after the way I treated people in school, that maybe she might like me back. Turns out, I wasn't heard type.

Tammy Thompson was.

Well, I couldn't very well hold that against her. She was this perfect girl sitting in front of me on the floor of the Starcourt bathroom, confessing something that was really hard for her to say. I could tell she was scared about what my reaction would be. Scared that I would be mad, or tell people, or hate her for it. Not a chance. It shocked me how much I liked her, and if I wasn't her type, well, I certainly wasn't going to lose her as a friend. So somehow, against all odds, after being a total douche in high school and hanging out with idiots who turned out to be terrible to people, this perfect girl ended up becoming my best friend. There's something to be said about being tied to a chair together and being threatened with torture, I guess.

And now, months later, Tammy Thompson, the girl my best friend had a huge crush on in high school, was hurting her now with her stupid act. Unacceptable.

I looked at Tammy and sniffed, fighting the urge to pull her off of her new boyfriend and toss them both out the door. Instead I just nodded. "Sure, I think I can find something for you."

I walked over to the comedy aisle with the pair following me. I stole a glance at the counter to see Robin looking our way. She had a sour expression on her face. She hadn't mentioned Tammy in months, not since we talked at Starcourt, but I could tell her feelings were still there. Old crushes are hard to get over, particularly ones that you never really faced. The ones that play in a thousand different scenarios in the back of your mind but you never really tell the person how you feel. Tammy never knew how Robin felt. She probably never would. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let Tammy dig that blade any deeper into Robin's chest.

I picked up a video and handed it to Tammy. "Trust me. You're both going to love this," I told her.

Tammy smiled. "Thanks Steve. Maybe we'll see you around sometime," she said. She smiled and locked eyes with me a little too long, even as she turned and headed to the counter with Kyle. I didn't give her the satisfaction of any expression at all. She was looking for jealousy from me, looking for _something_ to say that her jaunt in here wasn't in vain.

Instead, I just nodded and watched the two go over to the counter. Robin straightened up and put on her best customer service face that she could muster up under the circumstances. I bit the end of my fingernail as I watched. A huge smile spread across Robin's face when Tammy put the video on the counter. "Muppets Take Manhattan?" Robin said. She smiled and stole a glance my way. I smirked back and mimed a Muppet singing on Broadway as best as I could.

Tammy nodded. "Yup. Steve recommended it. Is it any good?" Tammy asked, looking for a second opinion.

Robin glanced at me again, her smile widened as she scanned the video. "Ya, it's one of the best."

Robin watched Tammy walk out of the store. I jumped over the counter and stood beside her and looked down. "You okay?"

Robin looked up at me and smiled. "Ya. I'm okay. Thanks for that."

"For what?" I asked, pretending not to know what she was talking about. Then I smiled at her and wrapped both of my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She returned the gesture with a laugh.

The door opened again. This time, finally, Dustin walked in. "Do you have it?" he asked coming over to the counter. "Do you have it?"

"Relax Henderson. We've been holding it behind here since four o'clock. How did it possibly take you so long to get here?"

He shrugged. "Sorry. Suzie and I were talking. You two should come over for movie night when you're off. We're starting it at midnight and pigging out on all the junk food we can find at Mike's house."

Movie night at the Wheeler's? "We'll think about it," I said as I handed him his change and the movie and looked at Robin. She shrugged and I turned back to Dustin. I mimicked Robin's shrug and said again, "we'll think about it."

"Okay, well, you're missing out if you don't come. The rest of the gang is going to be there, so you both should be there too."

The whole gang. I guess I _was_ a part of that gang now. Strangely. Life is weird sometimes. A few months ago I was king of high school. Now, my gang included Robin, a girl I didn't even talk to in school, this kid Dustin, who happens to somehow be the other best friend in my life, all of his friends, and my ex and her new boyfriend. (Oh ya, did I mention the Byers decided to come back to Hawkins for Thanksgiving?)

Movie night at the Wheelers. Movie night with Nancy. The other perfect girl in my life. (Don't tell anyone I said that). The girl who turned out to be perfect for someone else and broke my heart. Shattered it, really, like it had been crunched on by a thousand demodog teeth. But that's another story...

Yup. _Thiiiis_ is my life now.


	2. Chapter 2

Dustin scurried towards the door to prepare for movie night, but he turned towards the counter as he backed out of the video store. "You're coming Harrington, right? I know you will, Buddy. Don't let me down. You too Robin. Both of you. Mike's house. Midnight." He let the door shut behind him before I answered, leaving my plans for the night somewhat ambiguous for the time being.

Robin and I still had an hour left on our shift at Family Video. The earliest part of the shift had flown by. Now, not one customer was lingering around the shelves. They were probably all out having social lives, or lounging in their living rooms ready to spend the evening inside. So, now that the evening rush was over, all there was to do was lean on the desk and wait for the time to tick away.

"I'm booored," Robin said leaning her back against the counter. She hung her head back to look at the ceiling. Her face was only a few inches from my own. I looked down at her and smiled. "What?" she demanded.

"You're always bored," I said. "You have to embrace the silence and the fact that there is nothing to do. You know, learn to enjoy it. This way, we still get paid, but we can clean up and get out of here on time for a change."

"So we can get to movie night on time," she teased. "Aww, is Steve worried his friends are going to start the movie without him?"

I straightened up and scrunched up my face. "What? No. I just want to-"

"What? You have other plans for the evening?" she asked. "Come on? Are we going to this movie thing or what? The kid seems to really want you there."

I looked at her. "I don't know. Ya, I guess," I stumbled. I held out a hand towards her in confusion and furrowed my eyebrows. "I didn't think you'd want to go."

She looked at me and shrugged. "I don't have any other plans. You have something better to do tonight? Itching to get home to your house and your angry parents?"

I scoffed at the thought. Robin had had more than an earful of my thoughts on my home situation these last few months. She knew better than anyone how much my parents were fighting and how much I had begun to loath stepping through my front door. Long gone was the refuge that my bedroom had been in high school. It had become a place that I needed to escape. A reminder of the slack-off kid that I was in school; the one that my Dad went to great pains to remind me that I still was. A failure that couldn't get into school and was going to amount to nothing. "Better get used to living on minimum wage. That's all you're ever going to get."

Movie night at the Wheeler's? Ya, that sounded pretty damn good right about now. I looked at Robin. She and I had spent a whole lot of time together since I finished school. First at Scoops Ahoy, then searching for new jobs when that one turned to rubble, then, slowly, out for dinners or weekends out walking around town. I'm not sure why I was surprised anymore when she assumed that whatever the Friday night plans were, unless it involved a date, that we would be doing it together. "Ya, Robin. Let's go to this movie night thing. Could be fun, right?"

Robin popped her head up and stood up straight, a smile spreading across her face. "So it's settled. We're going to movie night, Which means," she said, "we need extra snacks. Can't go empty handed." In a flash I watched her grab her jacket, suddenly full of determination. She went around the counter before I could figure out why she was moving so fast. "I'll just head next door and get a few. You man the store while I'm gone." She scurried towards the front door.

"Hey," I called as the door swung open, "was that just all a ploy to abandon me in here?" My voice raised the farther she walked. "Make me suffer alone?" The door shut before she answered. She turned to me and looked past the posters hanging on the window. She gave me a shrug as she walked sideways towards the convenience store next door.

"Dammit," I said, falling back on the counter and putting my head on my hand. Now _I_ was bored, and alone to watch the store.

I mustered up the motivation to grab the vacuum while Robin was gone. I began to clean the back rows of the store. I was just finishing up the first strip of blue carpet when I heard the door swing open. I looked up, knowing it was too soon to see Robin carrying an armload of snacks. Instead, my eyes fell on Nancy. "Shit," I said under my breath.

Nancy Wheeler. Nancy Wheeler who was probably also going to be attending movie night later that evening.

Smart. Pretty. Compassionate. Kinda wild under the perfect exterior she presented to the school. My ex. Ya, we were in love once upon a time.

At least, I thought we were.

Turns out, I loved her, but I guess she didn't love me. It took a lot of spiked punch and one good argument in a bathroom to find that out. And when I did, it felt like a demodog had latched onto one of my limbs and gave a good hard yank. Know what I mean? ... Ya, I guess not. Let me try again...

I dated a lot in high school. Most of the time I never expected it to go anywhere. A date or two here and there, maybe an evening parking and making out – what can I say? I was having fun. Then I noticed this girl walking down the halls, head held high, armload of books always in her hand. She always had a strong opinion in our politics class, and never missed an answer in history or calculus. For everything I didn't do when studying for a test, she did the exact opposite. Always knew just what to say, just what to write. She seemed like the exact opposite of what I always looked for in a girl. But she was exactly the girl that I wanted. So I decided to take a shot. My idiot friends said she's never go for a guy like me, said that the first time we made out was a fluke and I should just get over her and move on to someone who didn't have such high expectations in life.

"She wants someone smart, someone who's going to go to some ivy league college next year, not some jock who walks around like he owns the place just because of his hair. Face it Harrington. You'll never get someone like that to stay with you."

I guess, in the end, they were right. I couldn't hold onto her. Did I completely screw it up? Just because I was worried that I would get in trouble for some stupid party? Or was it more than that? I mean, she was this brilliant girl, and I couldn't even write a stupid essay to get me into college. What the hell was I supposed to do with my life now? She wanted someone who was smart, someone who knew the answers to those questions on subtext and metaphors in English class, someone who could string a few sentences together to get them into school after Hawkins High.

Even with all of our differences, I thought things were going fine. I had fallen head over heals for this girl. And I thought she felt the same. Then...

"Bullshit."

I've taken a lot of hits these last couple years. And I mean serious, face smashed up, bruised and bleeding, needed stitches at the hospital beatings. (You should have seen the other guys...) I can say for certain that that conversation hurt worse than any punch thrown or plate smashed onto my head. (Ya, that happened once). That one word ripped my heart out.

"Bullshit.

"It's all bullshit."

I could still see her face when she said it. Still feel the crushing in my gut, the wind completely knocked out of me. "_Like_ we're in love?" I asked her, not believing the words being slurred out of her mouth. Her eyes had just glared at me. "It's bullshit."

Not to me it wasn't.

Okay, so maybe our relationship wasn't the most pressing concern in the town at that particular moment in time. And ya, I know I was _that guy_ before I started dating her. The one who fooled around with a bunch of girls. The guy who ruled the school and mocked and bullied anyone who crossed my path just because I could. I was a jerk. No getting around that. But this was different. I tried so hard to be better for her. I guess I just didn't know how.

I got a chance with this girl, and I wanted so badly to hold onto her. I had it all. Perfect hair. Perfect girl. King of the whole school. I tried. I did. I _think_ I was a pretty good boyfriend to her, after a few bumps in the road. I guess I slipped up every once in awhile, letting the old Steve kick in. I did a couple of stupid things – not least letting my friends be the biggest jerks of all. But I thought things were going well. Then, BAM. Girl rips my heart out.

I even showed up at her house with flowers to apologize. I'm still not sure what I did wrong or what I was planning to apologize for. Nothing, maybe. Maybe the breakup was just inevitable given everything that was going on in this town. The town where nothing happened. The quiet town. The quaint small town America.

The town that opened a gateway to hell and let in the monsters. More than once.

Now, here she was, wandering into Family Video this Friday night. And not surprising, her new boyfriend wasn't far behind – back in Hawkins for Thanksgiving weekend. The whole Byers family came along for the ride. I watched Jonathan as he came in. He glanced my way briefly. We weren't exactly the best of friends. We were... civil. How can you not be after fighting monsters together? But no part of me wanted to sit down and have any long conversation with him that didn't involve saving Hawkins from the Upside Down.

He felt the same. He kept his distance, and we were fine. Nancy was another story. She tried to keep her distance at first too. The break-up was messy, and I think she didn't want to throw her new relationship in my face – but, given the circumstances, she couldn't really hide it, could she? Once Jonathan moved away, she was around more; picking up videos or other things from the plaza. We crossed paths more than I liked, so we had no choice but to let the ice between us thaw.

I watched her whisper something to Jonathan, then she made her way over to the counter. "Hey," she said tentatively.

"Hey Nancy."

"I just wondered if you were coming to movie night later?" she said.

"Ya, Dustin mentioned it. I'll be there."

"Oh, good. So you're coming? I just didn't want it to be weird," she said gesturing behind her to where Jonathan was pretending to study the back of a VHS box.

I shrugged. "It's fine, Nancy. We'll see you there later," I told her.

"We?"

"Robin and I."

"Oh!" Nancy smiled. "Oh course. Ya. Good. I'm glad you'll both be there. It'll be fun." I could hear slight relief in her voice. She was happy I was bringing a girl. She assumed I was bringing a date.

"Ya, well, you know Dustin," I said. "He wouldn't dream of letting me skip out on it."

"Good. Okay, I'll see you both later then." She wandered back over to Jonathan. I watched her lean over his arm and check the back of the box he was holding.

Her hair was shorter now than it was when we dated. She twisted a finger around a curl that fell over her face. She smiled and laughed after reading the box.

Nancy Wheeler. I'm so, so over her.

Jonathan put his arm around her and I clenched my fist. Movie night suddenly seemed like a really bad idea.

"Earth to Steve."

I felt a punch on my shoulder and I looked to my side. Robin was standing there with a bag full of snacks to bring to movie night.

"You okay?" she asked. She glanced over to Nancy and Jonathan, and then looked back at me. For all her joking and prodding, she knew when to back off. She knew Nancy was a touchy subject, even if I did claim to be over her.

"Ya, I'm just fine," I told her. My mood shifted, seeing her there. I managed a teasing smile. "I hope you got the good snacks," I said peering into the bag. "None of that Sour Cream nonsense you usually like."

Robin tossed the bag onto a chair. "Don't worry Dingus. There's plenty of that gross barbecue flavour that you enjoy."

"Perfect. We're all set for a night in with the kids then," I said. Then I scrunched up my face. "When exactly did I get so old?"

She laughed. "Come on," she said, pointing back to the vacuum that I had left in the corner. "Store closes in ten."


End file.
